Chirp at speed

[cmoore99]

Have an '04 Corolla with 99,000 plus miles. Runs great but has a chirp at speed. Sounds like metal rubbing but I cannot isolate the noise. It does not seem to be the exhaust. Sometimes it sounds like it is coming from the cabin and other times from the engine compartment. I noticed yesterday that when I would let off the gas pedal the chirp would stop. The chirp usually does not start until the vehicle is going 40 plus mph. Any ideas out there? I am at a loss. I cannot reproduce the sound in the drive way. It only happens at speed. Thanks in advance for any advice and direction.

[PhantomGrey08]

If The Sound Is At Speed I would Assume It would Be Some Sort Of Rotating Assembly Or Piece Of Body Work When Air is passing through or by it.I would Jack The Car Up And Check the Wheel Bearings (front and rear),Grab the top and bottom of the tire while in the air and give it a wiggle to see of there is any play at all,there should be none,Turn the tires,rotate the while on the car to see if you can find any kind of slop..... I would also Go through and just wiggle bodywork,front bumper,airdam,grilles are notorious for making noise too,These cars are very well built for the most part.Hope this give you a starting point,this is where I would start at least.

[cmoore99]

Thanks Phantom. I checked the rear bearings last night and they seem fine. I have been all around the vehicle and passenger compartment more than once. I have tightened screws/bolts, wiggled hoses and lines and greased latches all to no avail. I'm going to check the front bearings this evening and also check behind the glove box to see if anything back there is loose. It really does sound like something is just loose. I had a wheel bearing go bad on another vehicle and it made a growling type noise. New bearings fixed that pronto. Anyway, I will keep listening and searching. Thanks for the tips.

[PhantomGrey08]

You're Very Welcome cmoore. I am interested to know what the sound is so keep us posted.If I can Think of anything else to check I'll let ya know.

[cmoore99]

I found a couple of the bolts in the bottom of the console that sits between the driver and passenger seats to be loose. I tightened those up and will give it a test ride this evening to see if that cures the chirp. I will report back. Thanks.

[PhantomGrey08]

Awesome I hope that fixes it... little squeaks annoy the heck outta me especially if I don't know where they are coming from.

[NMGeorge]

is it the AC compressor engaging, and the belt slipping a bit? Or perhaps a loose spare in your trunk? (Thinking outloud here!)

[cmoore99]

The A/C and belt are fine. I have checked and rechecked the trunk and even added a duct tape damper to the jack holder with no luck. The spare is as tight as a tick back there. Thanks.

[cmoore99]

I think the chirp is now gone. Tightening the bolts at the bottom of the console bin seems to have done the trick. Thanks.

[PhantomGrey08]

Awesome ! I will keep that in mind as I accumulate miles On Mine